Big Time Glutening & No Reaction!

[GFLindsey]

On Saturday afternoon I accidentally ate 3 wheat flour cookies (See my post "I wish it was an Oreo"). I literally had a panic attack when I realized my mistake and prepared for the worst reaction since going gluten-free. I have yet to directly ingest gluten since starting the diet in early Feb. However, I have had reactions many times after eating things from what I assumed the be cc events - mostly bloating and nausea. Sometimes diarrhea.

It has been over three days. My reaction was not that extreme. I had abdominal pain and cramping. I was exhausted. I also have 4 ulcers in my mouth within 12 hours of eating the cookies (I haven't had a single ulcer since going gluten-free, and I normally would have 3-6 at any given time). I took it easy and barely ate anythin until yesterday at dinner. I am back to eating pretty normally.

So is this normal? I have had stronger reactions with more discomfort in the past 3 months from what I was assuming was CC. Now I am confused!

Also, can I assume I am in the clear from this situation? After 72 hrs, would a big reaction hit me this late?

I don't know what to think. I have been doubting my Celiac diagnosis, but it was given now by 2 GI docs. I am not in denial, I will be following a gluten-free diet for life regardless because I am at a very high risk. However, I just don't want to be overlooking another issue if something else could be coming into play.

Your thoughts?

[GFLindsey]

I guess I shouldn't have said "No Reaction" in the title, because I did have some issues. However, nothing too extreme and actually quite ordinary for how I have been feeling these last 3 months.

[T.H.]

I had someone reply to a post of mine in the forum that might address just this topic!

I'm not sure what the research was, but the poster told me that recent studies that were trying to look at damage vs. reactions, in celiacs, found no correlation. Some people had severe reactions to gluten, some people didn't, and it didn't seem to indicate how much damage had been done. Quite severe reactions sometimes correlated with no discernable damage to the intestine at all, if I understood right. I imagine that's searchable on google or here.

So sounds like whatever your reactions, it can't tell you how much damage was done, yeah? Happy to hear that you didn't FEEL horrifically sick, at least! :-)

On Saturday afternoon I accidentally ate 3 wheat flour cookies (See my post "I wish it was an Oreo"). I literally had a panic attack when I realized my mistake and prepared for the worst reaction since going gluten-free. I have yet to directly ingest gluten since starting the diet in early Feb. However, I have had reactions many times after eating things from what I assumed the be cc events - mostly bloating and nausea. Sometimes diarrhea.

It has been over three days. My reaction was not that extreme. I had abdominal pain and cramping. I was exhausted. I also have 4 ulcers in my mouth within 12 hours of eating the cookies (I haven't had a single ulcer since going gluten-free, and I normally would have 3-6 at any given time). I took it easy and barely ate anythin until yesterday at dinner. I am back to eating pretty normally.

So is this normal? I have had stronger reactions with more discomfort in the past 3 months from what I was assuming was CC. Now I am confused!

Also, can I assume I am in the clear from this situation? After 72 hrs, would a big reaction hit me this late?

I don't know what to think. I have been doubting my Celiac diagnosis, but it was given now by 2 GI docs. I am not in denial, I will be following a gluten-free diet for life regardless because I am at a very high risk. However, I just don't want to be overlooking another issue if something else could be coming into play.

Your thoughts?

[SGWhiskers]

My reactions have become weaker and weaker the longer I've been on the diet. The pros are that a mistake does not cost me sick time and terrible pain at work. The cons are that I might wind up doing accidental damage because I'm slowly becoming a "silent" Celiac again. I'm at 21 months and I wind up with the same/similar symptoms to my peak levels of misery, but at about 5-10% strengh.

And my advice is to listen those GI doc's diagnosis. Don't let your recovery trick you into thinking you don't need to follow doctor's orders. Imagine how good you will feel after a year on the gluten-free diet.

Best wishes.

SGwhiskers

[GFLindsey]

TH - Very interesting information! I will search that topic and see what I find. I also was diagnosed as a Stage 1 Celiac, so minimal to no damage had been done to my small intestine. I wondered how that would factor into my recovery time and my reaction to glutenings. Thanks for the info!

SG - Thanks for sharing your experiences. I truly would love for my reactions to decrease somewhat.. I have been miserable these past few months. Can't put anything into my mouth without feeling awful. However, there is a scary side to not having strong reactions.

Thank you both!

[haleym]

TH - Very interesting information! I will search that topic and see what I find. I also was diagnosed as a Stage 1 Celiac, so minimal to no damage had been done to my small intestine. I wondered how that would factor into my recovery time and my reaction to glutenings. Thanks for the info!

SG - Thanks for sharing your experiences. I truly would love for my reactions to decrease somewhat.. I have been miserable these past few months. Can't put anything into my mouth without feeling awful. However, there is a scary side to not having strong reactions.

Thank you both!

Interesting, and great topic! I ate some questionable pasta salad after 8 months of strict gluten-free-ness. I had no immediate reaction but the next day I had some cramping and feel that typical scratchiness-sand paper in gut type feeling. I guess that each person reacts slightly different, but that doesnt mean that we can cheat on our diets if it only hurts a little at first.

THANKS very much for bringing this up!

[mushroom]

I have been one who wonders about my degree of sensitivity. So far I have traced all my bad reactions to lectins, and avoiding them seems to mean no symptoms. I would get reactions to Rx meds with gluten, but until yesterday (after 2-1/2 yrs) no reactions to foods that I was aware of, not even from restaurants. I was getting pretty blase

Yesterday I played bridge with my standard group of social players, and was offered (and ate) some cookies the hostess assured me were the same as I had eaten at her house last time (not home-made and for which I had checked the package labelling), which, however, were served on a plate with gluten goodies (but not touching ) So I ate them. What a misstrake Big time bloating, connective tissue pain, insomnia (moaning ) ......

Had to spend a day in town shopping today and dragged my sorry ass through the routines of grocery, errands.... had committed to playing bridge tonight but by the time I made it home (was wondering if I would for a while) I called and cancelled. Monstrous headache, every part of my body aches, can barely hold up my eyebrows... could this be the first time I was food glutened or am I becoming more sensitive? Maybe it was just her gluteny hands on my gluten free cookies that did all this damage???